Ep 320 - The Hustle Behind BookSpine

EPISODE INTRODUCTION

Gia Santos is a visionary entrepreneur and the co-founder of Bookspine. After a challenging journey through startup hell, she's back and ready to inspire. Gia’s story began at just 10 years old as a freelance writer and evolved through ventures in blogging, e-commerce, and health tech with her startup HeartSmart. In July 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Gia and her co-founder John Etchouse saw an opportunity to bridge the gap left by shuttered bookstores. They launched Bookspine, a platform designed to connect readers with their ideal books. Starting as a marketplace for secondhand books, Bookspine quickly gained momentum, onboarding sellers and captivating readers worldwide. Tune in as Gia opens up about her heartbreak and how she turned grief into growth.

Episode Timeline: 

[00:03:53] - Gia's Journey and Social Media Presence

[00:05:25] - Gia's Early Hustles and Entrepreneurial Spirit

[00:10:16] - Discovering Ikigai and Technopreneurship

[00:17:05] - HeartSmart's Evolution and Challenges

[00:20:54] - Pivoting HeartSmart and Facing Challenges

[00:22:10] - Lessons Learned as a First-Time Founder

[00:28:18] - The Reality of Startup Failure

[00:34:07] - Working at SquadZip and Realizations

[00:40:09] - The Power of Profit and Hustling Out of Challenges

[00:44:00] - The Birth of Bookspine

[00:49:09] - Early Stages of Bookspine and Marketplace Model

[01:22:22] - Selling books by the kilo.

[01:26:08] - Surviving the startup struggle.

[01:32:10] - Curated book bundles for readers.

[01:39:40] - Grant application process insights.

"I realized that for the first couple of years of building Bookspine, I was avoiding attachments. I wasn't fall-in because I was afraid to get hurt again." ​ - Gia Santos

Links: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giasantos/

Website: https://bookspine.ph/

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